1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to box, blank or carton folding apparatus and more particularly, to a carton folding apparatus which is modular in design, the folding and gluing (folder/gluer) modules of which are capable of lateral and vertical adjustment, as well as optimum belt removal and replacement. Each of the folder/gluer modules is further characterized by at least one drive motor for driving the belt system or systems in that module and these drive motors are synchronized to insure a uniform belt speed throughout the prefold/fold, fold and delivery modes. All folder/gluer modules are constructed such that the upper portion in each case may be raised with respect to the lower portion for clearing carton jams and cleaning purposes and both the upper and lower segments may be adjusted laterally to accommodate cartons or boxes of selected width. A pneumatically-equipped stacker unit is provided for receiving and stacking the folded and glued cartons delivered from the folder/gluer.
Some of the problems which are inherent in the design of conventional carton folding devices, or "folder/gluers", are the difficulty of replacing belts without disassembling the apparatus; cleaning and clearing carton jams between belts and roller systems; adjusting the conveyor system to accommodate cartons, boxes or "blanks" of various width; and the difficulty or impossibility of substituting one segment of the apparatus for another or removing a portion of the machine when specific folding and/or gluing operations are required. The carton folding apparatus of this invention solves these problems by providing a split modular design which allows substitution of various versatile, unconnected modules to achieve the desired folding and gluing functions and facilitates both vertical and lateral adjustment, as well as optimum machine accessibility for cleaning, maintenance and quick and easy replacement of belts. The carton folding apparatus also incorporates a state-of-the-art electronic control system for insuring that the belts in each of the folding and gluing modules are synchronized at a desired uniform speed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various "folder/gluers" are known in the art. The "Domino 85- M and Domino 110-M" Folder Gluers, built by Bobst Group, Inc. of Roseland, N.J., are medium size folder-gluer machines utilizing modular concepts. The CX-2074 Specialty Folder/Gluer is marketed by Post Machinery Company, Inc. of Portsmouth, N.H., and is designed to operate both mechanically and by computer. The "Tanabe OCG-EF" box folding device is marketed by Tanabe Machinery Company, Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan and features micro-computer control of most machine functions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,846, dated Dec. 29, 1987, to Chet Zak, details a "Trailing Panel Folder" for use in a blank folding machine. The system includes a rotatable shaft mounted below the path of the blank and transverse to this path. A motor is connected to drive the shaft and an arm assembly is mounted on the shaft and includes an arm extending away from the shaft and a folding head for folding the trailing panel of a blank. An encoder is interconnected with the drive to provide a pulsed output which is related to the velocity at which the blanks are moving along the path and a blank sensor provides a trailing edge signal when the trailing edge of the sensed blank leaves the location. A programmable motor controller moves the arm assembly to a predetermined start position in which the folding head is disposed upstream of the shaft and effects the following: causes the folding head to move to an "up" position, wherein it overlies the folded trailing panel at a speed sufficiently fast to overtake and fold the panel; causes the folding head to dwell in the "up" position; and causes the arm to move to a "start" position after the folded panel has moved from under the folding head.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved box, blank, and carton folding apparatus which is modular in design and includes vertically adjustable upper assemblies and horizontally adjustable upper and lower assemblies for optimum machine accessibility in cleaning box, blank or carton jams and cleaning and accommodating boxes, blanks and cartons of selected width and design, respectively.
Another object of this invention is to provide a carton folding apparatus which incorporates a modular, multiple belt drive and support conveying system that facilitates quick and easy replacement of individual belts without the necessity of disassembling the belt-support and/or drive apparatus.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved carton folding apparatus, the folder/gluer portion of which is characterized by a feed module, a prefold/fold module, a fold module, a final fold module and a delivery module operating in linear, belt-aligned cooperation, which modules are adjustable vertically and horizontally to clear carton jams and accommodate cartons of various width, respectively.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a carton folding apparatus which is characterized by a horizontally-split, modular, folder/gluer having feed, prefold/fold, fold, final fold, delivery units, as well as a stacker unit, which folder/gluer units may be interchanged or removed from the apparatus line to effect folding and/or gluing and stacking functions of substantially any desired nature.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a carton folding apparatus having modular folder/gluer feed, prefold/fold, fold, final fold and delivery systems that are both vertically and horizontally adjustable for clearing carton jams, cleaning and accommodating cartons of selected width and thickness, the feed module having a horizontally and vertically-adjustable upper feed assembly and the prefold/fold, fold, final fold and delivery modules each having vertically and horizontally adjustable upper carriages and horizontally adjustable lower carriages and further including a stacker unit which is further characterized by pneumatic operation.